Rzeszów 2023-11-19
Military lifeboat, 35-person capacity.
Our website is not about ships, but we have included an article about a lifeboat that can accommodate 35 people in a sealed interior.
One fact prompted us to post this article. In 1985, a feature film about Soviet naval aviation was released. Unfortunately, we don't remember the title. This film in Poland was shown only at closed screenings. The film's plot was naive. Nevertheless, a fragment of this film showed a rescue version of the Tupolev Tu-16 bomber. In the bomb bay of the plane, a lifeboat was half-immersed, which is presented below. In addition, there were Soviet soldiers from the special team inside the boat. During the flight, the boat was detached from the plane. The parachutes deployed and the boat fell into the water, completely submerging, and after a while it reached the surface. The soldiers opened the hatches and got onto the pontoons to reach the shore. This transport and dumping of boats was absolutely possible and used. However, the presence of soldiers on board this boat during its descent into the water from an altitude of approximately 2,000 m raises doubts.
In 2020, the Polish Navy, specifically the Military Property Agency, put this type of lifeboat up for sale. The following data was provided; Lifeboat, 35-person fireproof, with engine, approximate dimensions 8.0 m x 2.8 m. Factory number 1314. Production in 1988. Sale price: PLN 15,000. Łódź was advertised as a place for those who had not yet settled down and always wanted to arrange a place to live on the water. The buyer was obliged to collect the property by December 30, 2020.
Currently (2023), the same boat can be seen in the railway areas near the Rzeszów Główny railway station. We do not know if this is the same boat that AMW put up for sale in 2020. According to available data, the boat can accommodate 35 people. We do not know whether they could have been soldiers with full equipment or just survivors. We do not know the parameters of the engine installed in the boat. We do not know how many boats the Polish Army used and how they were used. The boat is likely to be able to safely pass through a pool of burning oil or kerosene.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman